Improved railroad-switch



' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. HASKINS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVED RAILROAD-SWITCH.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 12,94% dated May 31,1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. HAsKrNs, of the city and county of St.Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Railroad-Switches and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings and the letters of reference thereon.

This invention relates to that class of switches which are movedautomatically, or by the action of the locomotives or cars passing overthem; and it consists of apertures made in one rail ofthe main track andin one rail of the 4 side track, in which apertures are placed cams orlevers, so arranged in the slots of the rails as to project above thesame sufficiently to cause the locomotive or car wheels passing overthem to depress them, thereby imparting motion to a rod or rodsconnected with them, and by them to the switch or rails to be moved, andthus returning them to their proper position, should they from any causebecome displaced; and it further consists of a triangle or rightanglelever fastened to the cross-bar, or in some manner attached to it, onwhich the rails rest, or which fasten or connect the two switch-railstogether. To each end or to the two short arms ot' this triangle orright angle lever are attached latches, made to work through groovesformed in a bar for that purpose. The free ends of these latches aremade to rise upon an inclined surface formed upon the bar connecting thetwo outer ends of the switch-rails. This bar is also provided with slotsor grooves, into which the latches drop or spring from the inclinedplanes or surfaces and fasten and retain the switch in its properposition. This cross-bar has near its center longitudinally a slot,through which the long point of the triangle or right-angle leverpasses. To the end of this triangle or rightangled lever is attached,after passing through the slot in the bar, as described above, a rod,which is attached at its other end to the hand` lever or target, bywhich this switch may be moved by hand as an ordinary switch.

A A represent the rails of main track; B B, rails of side track; C C,switch-rails; D,cross bar at free end of switch-rails; E, triangle lywhich switch is moved; F2, latch which locks switch on side track; G,switch-rod running from point of triangle E, and attached to handleveror target on switch-frame; I H H, two collars through which latches Fand F2 work freely forward and backward, or upward and downward, but notlaterally; J, center-pin upon which triangle E turns; K, slot incrossbar D, (see Figure 4,) through which the point otE passes; X andX2, connecting-rods from triangle E to treadles in track-rails Y Y; MM2, notches in cross-bar D, into which (see Fig. 4) latches F and F2spring to hold switchrails` in position either track.

In all gures like letters refer to like parts.

Action: The switch maybe moved by hand by moving the target or frame I,or by the wheel of an engine or car rolling upon either one ofthetreadles at Y Y, which may be elevated to the position shown by thedotted line of Y, Fig. 2. When, either by the target or the treadles,the switch is moved, its action is as follows: The slot K in cross-bar Dis suliiciently long to allow E to move without moving bar D, untillatch F is drawn back ont ofthe notch in bar D. Then the point of Emoves bar D, thus lnovin g the switch-rails O C from tracks A A to B B.The latch F2 meanwhile is moving forward, and as notch M has not yetreached the point to be entered by F2, the latch F2 rises on top of barD, and when D, sliding under F2, has brought notch M under the latch F2,it springs downward into M a-nd fastens the switch-rails into their newposition.

The treadles Y Y are elevated or depressed by the movement oftheswitch-rails C O-that is to say, when the switch is in the positionshown in Fi g. l-that is, upon the main trackthen the treadle on themain track Y2 is depressed to allow the trains to pass in eitherdirection, and the treadle Y on the side track is elevated, (see dottedline of Y, Fig. 2,) and a train passing from the side track toward theswitch must, by the rolling of the iirst wheel of the engine or othersuitable device, depress Y, drawing upon rod X, attached thereto, andchan ging the switch precisely as described above, at the same timeelevating Y2 on the main track as a guard for the first train coming onmain line toward the switch. The treadle upon the track for which theswitch is right is always depressed-that upon the track for which theswitch is wrong is always elevated.

The action and movement of all the parts' 2. The combination of thetreadles at Y Y, is the same in either direction, Whether zt'oa. rod orrods, X X, and it triangular lever, E. complished by movement of thetarget, by 3. The combination of the triangular lever hand-power, or thedepression of the treadles E with the latches F and F2 and a rod or byWheels or other devices. erossJoar, D, connecting the rails to be moved.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to GH. H. HASKINS. secure byLetters Patent, is- XVitnesses:

1. The combination ofthe treadles with the .0. B. GRANSON, slotted railsat Y Y. F. A. FoLLE'rT.

